Graduate Program

NRT-DESE

Graduate Training in Data-Enabled Research into Human Behavior and its Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms

Our National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (NRT-DESE) award for Graduate Training in Data-Enabled Research into Human Behavior and its Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms provides cross-training for graduate students in Computer Science, Brain and Cognitive Science, and Data Science.

In addition to coursework on the relevant computational foundations of data science (e.g., machine learning, data mining, statistics, cognitive modeling, computational neuroscience), students will also receive opportunities for professional development, such as:

Communications training

Career development workshops

Networking opportunities with leaders from academia and industry

Internship assistance

Conference assistance

In addition, a set of PhD students from the Departments of Computer Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences will receive financial support from the program. Support is limited to US citizens and permanent residents.

About the Program

The National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program focuses on understanding the nature of intelligence, both artificial and biological, and provides students with an integrated, multidisciplinary training experience encompassing computer science, brain and cognitive sciences, and related disciplines.

Student will use theories and methods from data science (including machine learning and statistics) to gain a foundation in theory development, computational modeling, and data analysis. This foundation then serves as a conceptual and methodological framework unifying their studies of artificial and biological intelligence.

By emphasizing both practical applications and basic science, our students will be able to design research solutions relevant to today's societal needs, as well as develop research approaches of critical importance to future needs. Through our hands-on projects students will also learn how to conceptualize, design, and implement large-scale research projects from beginning to end.

Practicum Projects and Class Members

Visiting Scientists

Each year we host one or more scientists who play leading roles in major research laboratories for three-day visits. In addition to scientific talks, the visits include conversations about types of jobs for PhD graduates, ways to build a social network that supports career development, and advice for job searching and interviewing. Over the course of the NRT program, these immersive encounters will include leading figures from industry and academia.

April 4, 2019

November 9, 2018

October 5, 2018

September 14, 2018

April 16, 2018

March 23, 2018

December 8, 2017

October 6, 2017

November 1, 2016

March 3, 2015

Applying

Any University of Rochester graduate student in a discipline related to computer science, data science, or brain and cognitive sciences is welcome to apply.

BCS/CS NRT Fellowships

Each year, a group of PhD students from the Departments of Computer Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences receive a one-year fellowship. The fellowships augment other sources of support for PhD students, such as research assistantships and teaching assistantships, but do not support any one student for the duration of his or her studies. Fellowships are limited to US citizens and permanent residents.

Fellowship students are normally in the first two years of their PhD program. Nominations for a student to receive a fellowship can be made by faculty members from the two departments, and should be submitted to Professor Ehsan Hoque and Professor Greg DeAngelis.